Bewick:
[Now I’ve heard it all Frank!!!Its a wonder Fergie didn’t apply for the gardners job!!!
Fergie47:
Bewick:
[Now I’ve heard it all Frank!!!Its a wonder Fergie didn’t apply for the gardners job!!!
I got the job Den, you might just see a flower if you look really carefully/ !!! 
Trouble is, I spent so much time servicing those 240 Gardners, I didn’t get much time for the gardening 
Fergie47:
Fergie47:
Bewick:
[Now I’ve heard it all Frank!!!Its a wonder Fergie didn’t apply for the gardners job!!!I got the job Den, you might just see a flower if you look really carefully/ !!!
Trouble is, I spent so much time servicing those 240 Gardners, I didn’t get much time for the gardening
C’mon Fergie if the only job you did at SOM was service 8LXB Big Js you would have bags of time on your hands!!! Did you trim the lawn at Maddiston with “nail scissors” as well?Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
Fergie47:
Fergie47:
Bewick:
[Now I’ve heard it all Frank!!!Its a wonder Fergie didn’t apply for the gardners job!!!I got the job Den, you might just see a flower if you look really carefully/ !!!
Trouble is, I spent so much time servicing those 240 Gardners, I didn’t get much time for the gardening
C’mon Fergie if the only job you did at SOM was service 8LXB Big Js you would have bags of time on your hands!!! Did you trim the lawn at Maddiston with “nail scissors” as well?Cheers Dennis.
I know I may have missed a few comments and I have been on holiday but was it ever confirmed that a big J with an 8lxb in it existed ? or am I just bringing up old stuff
ubym344:
[I know I may have missed a few comments and I have been on holiday but was it ever confirmed that a big J with an 8lxb in it existed ? or am I just bringing up old stuff
Two of the Smith lads have confirmed that they drove a 240, 8LXB, my friend Alex Saville was one of them, and if he says he did, that’s enough proof for me !! Alas, poor old Dennis needs to have at least a photo, or better still, actually see one. I would imagine that the cabs rusted away, and the engine and drive trains are now in Africa…
Still, I have managed to buy a 240, and at the moment I’m converting it into a 6 wheel, twin drive, wheel chair, so later on in life, Bewick will be have something to ride around in, and remind him of his obsession with it !!!
Fergie
ubym344:
Bewick:
Fergie47:
Fergie47:
Bewick:
[Now I’ve heard it all Frank!!!Its a wonder Fergie didn’t apply for the gardners job!!!I got the job Den, you might just see a flower if you look really carefully/ !!!
Trouble is, I spent so much time servicing those 240 Gardners, I didn’t get much time for the gardening
C’mon Fergie if the only job you did at SOM was service 8LXB Big Js you would have bags of time on your hands!!! Did you trim the lawn at Maddiston with “nail scissors” as well?Cheers Dennis.
I know I may have missed a few comments and I have been on holiday but was it ever confirmed that a big J with an 8lxb in it existed ? or am I just bringing up old stuff
Hiya “ubym344” this saga is likely to run and run as long as there is “life” left in the former SOM lads!!! I would liken it to a terrier dog that buries a bone and then keeps going back and digging up every now and then!!! There can be no doubt that SOM did run an 8LXB or three or four I only wish there was Photographic proof of the fact!!! That superb side view shot of a the Big J in the Alloa depot is not ,unfortunatley, one of the 8LXBs! If it had of been I would have been the first onto the thread to post my apologies in various languages! Scottish,FRENCH,Welsh and both Northern and Southern English!!! Then I would have emigrated to Greenland!!! Cheers Bewick.
Fergie47:
ubym344:
[I know I may have missed a few comments and I have been on holiday but was it ever confirmed that a big J with an 8lxb in it existed ? or am I just bringing up old stuffTwo of the Smith lads have confirmed that they drove a 240, 8LXB, my friend Alex Saville was one of them, and if he says he did, that’s enough proof for me !! Alas, poor old Dennis needs to have at least a photo, or better still, actually see one. I would imagine that the cabs rusted away, and the engine and drive trains are now in Africa…
Still, I have managed to buy a 240, and at the moment I’m converting it into a 6 wheel, twin drive, wheel chair, so later on in life, Bewick will be have something to ride around in, and remind him of his obsession with it !!!
Fergie
Can you fit it up with power steering and a radio as well! many thanks! Dennis.
Now if only these pics were of Big J’s it might prove or disprove the burning issue. Sorry guys (excuse the pun!) 
Keep 'em coming Frank! At the time these new ERFs were going into service the production of Big Js was falling I believe.Just looking at the rear view of the ERFs they both have different air-cleaners and the one further away has some sort of plastic reservoir above power steering res.But they both have the ■■■■■■■ 220 engine so I wonder if SOM ran any ERF 8LXBs???Cheers Bewick.PS what was the basis or rational with the fleet numbering at SOM? did you use the vehicle reg no. or the fleet number in the traffic office?
I wonder why the 2 erfs have different air filter configurations like that if they have the same engine and that reservoir on the far one is a bit on the high side all right for loftys of this world no good for short axxxs like meself, maybe ERF supplied a step ladder that would be a collectors item if it had ERF stamped down the side now theres a thought, there I go mind wanering again cheers fred
I did spot those technical differences (yes, even me) but God knows the reasons behind them. It’s also noticebale the slightly different paint jobs - one has the whole grille done in cream but the other only has half. One has a ■■■■■■■ badge on the grille, the other doesn’t. No consistency there then! Fleet numbers were always used on documentation and communication with other depots but, at Alloa at least, we tended to refer to each lorry in conversation by the numeric part of its reg number - e.g. “885 (or 885M) is due a service”. I think this was probably a throwback to the days before fleet numbers came about and a habit that kind of stuck.
Just a further point about those ERF pics - the depot at Alloa is still there, as is the traffic office building I believe, and last I heard was it was owned by local haulier John Sinclair. I can remember him buying his first ever unit/trailer as an owner-driver and getting some subby work from us. How times have changed. I think some of the warehouse buildings have been rented out as small industrial units and there was even a small brewery operating from there a few years back, which is kind of ironic as the old part of the building was originally a bottling hall for one of Alloa’s breweries back in the day - for a fairly small town it once had eight different brewing companies. Even more ironic, when I left Smiths in 1977 I went to work for one of those breweries.
Fergie [ quote ]
Still, I have managed to buy a 240, and at the moment I’m converting it into a 6 wheel, twin drive, wheel chair, so later on in life, Bewick will be have something to ride around in, and remind him of his obsession with it !!! :twisted:
Bewick
> [/b]
> Can you fit it up with power steering and a radio as well! many thanks! Dennis.
For you Den, it’ll have air-con, an 8 track tape, and a 5th wheel, so you can do a bit of work with it !!
I know, I spoil you !!! 
ubym344:
I wonder why the 2 erfs have different air filter configurations like that if they have the same engine and that reservoir on the far one is a bit on the high side all right for loftys of this world no good for short axxxs like meself, maybe ERF supplied a step ladder that would be a collectors item if it had ERF stamped down the side now theres a thought, there I go mind wanering again cheers fred
If re-call we had a couple of ERF A series (1973 M reg.220■■■■■■■■ at Bewick Transport and they both had the GKN Farr air-cleaner fitted and I think this filter took over from the round one so it looks like SOM got one either side of the change! As regards the painting there never was the certainty of getting two motors from the paint shop exactly the same!Don’t ask me why but it is a fact! Bewick.
Fergie47:
Fergie [ quote ]
Still, I have managed to buy a 240, and at the moment I’m converting it into a 6 wheel, twin drive, wheel chair, so later on in life, Bewick will be have something to ride around in, and remind him of his obsession with it !!! :twisted:Bewick
> [/b]
> Can you fit it up with power steering and a radio as well! many thanks! Dennis.
For you Den, it’ll have air-con, an 8 track tape, and a 5th wheel, so you can do a bit of work with it !!
I know, I spoil you !!!
[/quote]
[/quote]
If I could turn all your B******t into Gold bars Fergie I could buy the Ritz in Paris and give you the managers job!!! Dennis.
ubym344:
I wonder why the 2 erfs have different air filter configurations like that if they have the same engine and that reservoir on the far one is a bit on the high side all right for loftys of this world no good for short axxxs like meself, maybe ERF supplied a step ladder that would be a collectors item if it had ERF stamped down the side now theres a thought, there I go mind wanering again cheers fred
I will now own up to being a sad man!!! Air-filters---- and no doubt Frank’s eyes will glaze over!! Anyway this is a shot taken in mid '76 when we had just taken over K.Fell & Co and this tractor was Nreg '74 and has the round filter!
This tractor was new into the Bewick fleet in Sept '73 and had the GKN filter
and this tractor was new into the fleet in Jan’76 and had the GKN filter! I think ERF must have ducked and dived between suppliers which didn’t help to keep the workshop stores inventry low!!!
ubym344:
I wonder why the 2 erfs have different air filter configurations like that if they have the same engine and that reservoir on the far one is a bit on the high side all right for loftys of this world no good for short axxxs like meself, maybe ERF supplied a step ladder that would be a collectors item if it had ERF stamped down the side now theres a thought, there I go mind wanering again cheers fred
I think that reservoir could have been a bespoke optic for the driver’s “Dram” things were a bit more lenient in those day’s and a few of the Scots boys liked a “wee” dram just tae’ keep the cauld 'oot ye understand!!!Bewick.
Oh and while I’m on the SOM site did you catch a glimpes of the new Bewick 8LXB Big J still in primer and just beyond the Sed/Atk inside the garage!! Bewick.
Hi Folks,
I’ll join in if i can
VWU 333L 180 gardner GKN filter
RWU 999M 220 ■■■■■■■ round filter
Both vehicles bought new.
Cheers Malc
Jalfrezi:
Now if only these pics were of Big J’s it might prove or disprove the burning issue. Sorry guys (excuse the pun!)
Hi jalfrezi,
Quality S.O.M. photos.
Cheers Malc.